Travel Information - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 52

Communication

Telephone Service
Overall, Ecuador has an adequate communications sys-
tem. Calling cards work at specific public telephones to
make international calls, but are not always reliable.
There are also public phone debit cards that you can use
at specific locations. The most reliable way to make international
calls is through the Andinatel national phone company offices, lo-
cated in all cities in the northern sierras and Oriente, and even in the
smaller more remote towns. Pacífictel offices offer the same services
in cities on the coast and Southern Highlands. There is always an op-
erator there who will dial for you or give you tokens ( fichas ) to call
yourself. Usually you will pay upfront for the number of minutes you
want your call to last and will get a warning 30 seconds prior to the
end of the time.

You can make national and international calls at most major hotels,
or use a credit card to do so. Check on their charge policy though, or
you may be paying for the call itself plus a surcharge. They shouldn't
charge you on a time basis unless they aremaking a long distance call
direct without the use of your credit card. You can call directly to an
outside operator at no charge.

Connect with MCI in the US at 999-170, with
AT&T at 999-119 andwith Sprint at 999-
171. To call Canada's Teleglobe , dial 999-
175. 999-178 or 999-181 to connect

to

British Telecom in the UK.

For several years now, the least expensive way to make international
calls, at least from Quito, is through the Internet café N et2Phones .
Rates are extremely reasonable, although the quality of the digital
connection leaves a bit to be desired. You'll pay 20¢ a minute, rather
than $1-$2 per minute for a regular telephone call.

Ecuador is in the process of privatizing its phone service. Recently, a
digit has been added to numbers in Quito and Guayaquil (now seven
in total). Plans to make all numbers seven digits are underway, but
the timeframe is uncertain. Throughout the text, phone numbers in-
clude the regional prefix (similar to the US area code).